Firefighters save farm from blaze (From This Is Lancashire)

Firefighters save farm from blaze

3:57pm Monday 24th April 2006 in

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FIREFIGHTERS spent six hours battling a moorland blaze as high winds blew flames towards a farm.

The blaze, on land off Scout Road in Smithills, destroyed about 10,000 saplings which had been planted to create new woodland.

Flames were threatening Haslam Farm, which has been run by John Mundy, aged 55, for 17 years.

He said: "I got a call from the warden for the land near the disused reservoir who said he had seen smoke.

"The fire caught on quickly because the heather was very dry.

"The trees have all been destroyed. It is a real shame."

Geoff Harris, of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Three crews were originally called to the scene, but immediately radioed for backup when they saw the size of the fire.

"It covered approximately one square mile of land.

"There was some concern about a farm in the area which was in danger of catching fire and the fire crews did their best to protect it.

"The firefighters were going to be pulled out last night for their own safety but they managed to extinguish the fire by 9pm.

"This was the first moorland fire of the year. It is impossible to say how it was started but yesterday was a nice sunny day and people generally head to the moors."

Firefighters were called at 3.30pm after members of the public spotted plumes of smoke billowing from the moors.

They were forced to leave their engines nearby and walk to the scene of the fire, which was not accessible by road.

Crews used special spade-like instruments to beat the fire out. It destroyed 20 acres of grassland.

It is unclear what started the fire, but clear skies, blustery conditions and temperatures of more than 60 degrees could have helped the fire spread.

Mr Harris said: "Due to the recent rain, people believe the ground is still wet and are not as careful as they normally are during the summer. But it only takes a few days for the moorlands to dry out.

"Discarded cigarettes, disposable barbecues and camp fires are all potential fire starters.

"I would reiterate the usual warning for people to be extra careful and make sure they extinguish all items carefully.

"The moors are a unique environment and it can takes years for it to recover from even a small fire."

In 2003, fire chiefs said they had had their worst year for grass fires in three decades.

The most serious incident saw more than 100 firefighters tackle a moorland blaze in Belmont, which took more than two days to bring under control.